Mike Woods plans on riding with Israel – Premier Tech for the rest of his career

Mike Woods has had a long and successful career, but 2023 was special. He had an incredible win at the Tour de France, taking his first stage win at the biggest race in the world. During transfer season, there were rumours he may not be returning to Israel – Premier Tech, given that he hadn’t announced his renewal at the team he’s called home since 2021. But that’s the furthest thing from the truth. In fact, the Ottawa native will plans on riding at IPT until he hangs up his cleats.

In a video published by his team, he looks back at the season that was, as well as his eight-year career.

Michael Woods’s Tour de France stage win is even more awesome than you think

“It was a great season for me. Not my best from a consistency perspective, I think 2021 was my best season from start to finish, but the best result of my career was this season, at the Tour de France, and it’s a result I am really proud of,” he said.

Rookie blues

“When I started in 2016, I was 29 years old and most of my teammates were younger than me. This was on Cannondale but I made every mistake that you could possibly make as a neo pro. I did it all. Just a lot of stupid things,” he shared. “My teammates gave me the nickname, ‘The Rook’. Even though they were all younger than me, they were calling me ‘The Rook’, and it stuck. And even in my last years at Cannondale, which eventually became EF, I was still ‘The Rook’, even though I was doing really well at the biggest races in the world. And I kind of miss the nickname but at the same time, one of the best parts about coming over to IPT was I was no longer ‘The Rook’.

2024 is coming soon

Woods says there’s still a lot of fight left in him. Being 37, it’s clear he’s coming to the end of his career, but he wants to make the last few years of his career count.

“One of the reasons why I extended with the team was that I still felt like I had more to give. I don’t want to be racing my bike if I don’t feel like I’m not competing with the best riders in the world,” he said. “Then I don’t want to be racing anymore. I think life’s about pushing yourself and exploring and doing new things and trying new things and testing yourself.

He knows that as his career winds down, every moment counts. Every chance he has to add to his legacy is one his will cherish.

“And if I’m not doing that here, then I want to move on. But I feel like I still am improving. There are still some things that I’d like to achieve as a rider. There are still some results that are missing from my palmarès that I want to go after. Winning this past year at the Tour de France really added some fuel to the fire, to the excitement of this season,” he said. “I’ve never won a stage at the Giro. I finished second at a stage in 2018, which was the last time I did the Giro. But I’ve won two stages at the Vuelta, now with one at the Tour, I want to get a stage win at the Giro. So, it’s a real motivator.

Riding with IPT until he retires

Sylvan Adams has always been a fan of Woods, even from years before the IPT days. He credits the Israeli-Canadian as being instrumental in his progress.

“I’m really lucky to have Sylvan Adams in my corner. He is one of the main reasons why I am a pro cyclist. Him along with Paulo Saldanha, my coach and also head of performance for the team. Sylvan has backed me since 2013 and just played a massive role in my career,” he said. “Just over a year ago we sat down to talk about extending and we basically just made a deal that I’m going to retire with this team. I’m going to retire when there’s no more left to give. Like I said, I don’t want to be racing my bike if I’m not performing at the highest level. I want to be excited about going to races and I am right now. So, we’re going to extend until I’m ready to be done. “

At the 2023 Tour de France, Woods took an incredible stage win,conquering the Puy de Dôme in style. The Canadian caught American Matteo Jorgenson in the final moments of the brutal finale, taking his finest victory yet. What will 2024 bring? Given Woods’s tenacity, who knows. But the IPT rider will be sure to do his best to finish off his last few years as a pro in style.